New Zealand’s ‘darkest day’

Rescuers have worked desperately through the night trying to find victims trapped in the Christchurch rubble following Tuesday’s horror 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

Sixty-five people have been confirmed killed, but there are fears the death toll will mount on Wednesday as more bodies are found. One hundred people, perhaps more, are believed to be trapped in the wreckage of a devastated central Christchurch.

The death toll is already the second highest from a New Zealand earthquake - outranked only by the 256 people killed in the violent 7.9 1931 Hawke’s Bay quake, whose 70th anniversary was marked earlier this month.

One television report on Tuesday, quoting unconfirmed reports, said the final tally could be between 200 and 400.

However, there have been survivors pulled from wrecked buildings, and about 120 people were reported to have been pulled from the ruins.

Police have not been able to supply numbers on how many they believe are trapped, or how many have so far been pulled from the wreckage of buildings. Some survivors have sent text messages that they were trapped in the rubble.

A state of emergency has been declared, which is expected to last five days.

The 6.3 quake smashed into the city at 12.51pm local time (10.51am AEDT) when the city was packed with lunch-hour shoppers and office workers.

It followed the massive 7.1 shake on September 4 last year, but its effect was much more severe this time. Buildings that stood up to last year’s event tumbled this time, weakened by the earlier shaking.

Civil Defence said that by midday 220 Search and Rescue personnel will be deployed and as many as 700 Search and Rescue personnel may be deployed within 48 hours.

Further teams from Australia, the US and Britain are also on their way to join the effort as international offers of assistance come in.

About 950 people spent the night at two welfare centres, at Hagley Park and Burnside High School, where blankets, food, sanitation were supplied.

Civil Defence will attempt to open more centres throughout the day.

Water, sewer and gas lines were ruptured by the quake and power lines and poles crashed, cutting electricity to a third of the city.

Eighty per cent of the city has no water supply and people were urged to conserve water, not to shower, take baths or flush toilets.

Schools are closed on Wednesday and people are urged to stay at home, and undertake essential travel only.

Prime Minister John Key flew to Christchurch on Tuesday and after a quick tour of the city described it as “utterly wrecked”, adding “this is an absolute tragedy for Christchurch”.